At Christmas tree lots or other locations where Christmas trees are sold, it is generally desirable to display the tree in its natural upright orientation to enable the customer to examine the tree and to determine its shape, the density of the branches, and the freshness of the tree. Where the trees are stored in piles, this is done by manually holding the tree upright while the customer examines the tree. However, frequently the trees are mounted upright by tying them to stakes driven in the ground or by nailing or otherwise securing a support stand to the base of the tree.
Tree stands of various types are shown in the prior art, and the patents listed below are believed to be representative of the prior art in this field:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 328,007 Coffin October 13, 1885 1,015,934 Black, Jr. January 30, 1912 1,450,807 Hines April 3, 1923 1,598,016 Runser August 31, 1926 1,733,011 Healey et al October 22, 1929 2,681,780 Santoro June 22, 1954 2,840,331 Clifton June 24, 1958 3,648,957 Bencriscutto March 14, 1972 ______________________________________
The above-noted prior art tree stands are primarily concerned with supporting the tree for display when the tree has been decorated, and are characterized in that the tree is supported and held only at the lowermost portion of its trunk. This type of stand is not well suited for supporting and displaying Christmas trees for sale, because of the undue amount of time required to install the stand on the tree.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a display stand which is particularly designed for supporting and displaying a tree for sale on a Christmas tree lot to enable customers to examine and inspect the tree, and which is characterized by permitting quick and easy installation of the tree in the stand and the subsequent easy removal thereof. It is a further object of this invention to provide a display stand of this type which is rotatable so as to enable the customer to readily examine all sides of the tree.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a display stand of the type described which will accommodate a wide variety of sizes of trees, and which will support them in a stable upright orientation.